Top Bolt
by Cutthroat Drummer
Summary: Everypony knows the Wonderbolts are the top stunt team in Equestria, but what would happen if another team were to challenge that? Enter the Thunderbolts. (Title change - from "Battle of the Flyers" to "Top Bolt" (Title suggested by Captain Alaska.))
1. Chapter 1

**Another MLP story! Please review and tell my what you think! I always enjoy getting feedback. **

The Wonderbolts raced through the sky, practicing for Nightmare Night. Spitfire headed the group, directing them with her hooves. She wanted the presentation to be perfect.

Spitfire and the rest of the group did a loop-de-loop, and then split off and did another.

At the end of the routine, Spitfire landed, and the rest of the group followed her.

"Good job, team," Spitfire said.

She dismissed the group and went to her office.

As a Wonderbolt leader, Spitfire was under a lot of pressure. She had to be certain that the group wouldn't screw up. If they did, all the blame would fall on her.

They had never performed during Nightmare Night, and Spitfire wanted it to be perfect.

* * *

The next morning, as Spitfire was getting ready to practice again, a boom shook the arena. Spitfire looked outside her office window and saw a rainboom dissipate. Spitfire smiled. _"Loyal Rainbow," _she thought. Ever since she had been accepted into the Wonderbolts, she had worked her flank off to prove herself, and she was already climbing the ranks. Spitfire couldn't be more proud of her.

Spitfire went outside and summoned her team. "All right, team!" she said forcefully, pacing back and forth in front of them, "we have a few days until Nightmare Night, and I want the routine to be perfect. You've been practicing so hard, and I'm proud of you; however, practice more.

"I won't be flying with you today because I want to see how you do without a leader. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Everpony said simultaneously.

Spitfire blew her whistle. "Move out!"

Everypony took to the sky, and Spitfire watched from the ground.

As everypony flew, Spitfire thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It appeared to be another flying team.

_"Odd - I never told them to split off." _

Suddenly, the other team flew right through the Wonderbolts! They scattered everywhere, and Spitfire flew upwards to try and calm the chaos.

"Everypony calm down!" she shouted. "It's probably some armature, irresponsible flying team."

Everypony stopped flying around and lined up in front of Spitfire.

"Good," she said. "Now, does anypony have any questions?"

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof.

"Yes?"

"What in the hay was that?!" Rainbow shouted. "It threw off our otherwise perfect routine!"

"I had no idea what they were," Thunderlane said.

"Well," Spitfire said, "keep practicing anyway. I'm going to my office."

Everypony got into the pattern again, and resumed practicing.

In her office, Spitfire mulled over the incident. _"Just who the hay was that?" _she thought. She racked her brain for an answer, but couldn't receive one. She sighed. A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing Rainbow Dash.

Spitfire looked her over. "What happened to you?" She noticed Rainbow looked like she had crashed.

"We were attacked again," she said.

"WHAT?!" Spitfire shouted, leaping out of her chair. "Where are they?"

"That's the thing - they're gone," Rainbow said.

Spitfire realized that they were dealing with more then an irresponsible flying team. She walked out of the office and to the arena. She gasped when she got there - Almost everypony was on the ground, either knocked out or nursing their wounds.

"What happened here?" Spitfire asked.

"We were flying, and then we were suddenly attacked by the mystery flying team."

Spitfire could feel her temper rising. _"The last thing we need is a stupid team ruining our routine." _

Rainbow looked at Spitfire, and it looked like she about to flip her lid. Spitfire closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Are you okay, Ma'am?" Rainbow asked.

Spitfire opened her eyes and stared blankly ahead.

"I feel like I need to kick something right now."

Rainbow instinctively moved away. "Do you want to be left alone?"

Spitfire shook her head. "No. We need to ask everypony what happened."

Rainbow nodded. "I agree - that would be the best course of action.

They both went to the first fallen pony. Both recognized him as Thunderlane. Rainbow shook him, and Thunderlane moaned.

"What happened?" he mumbled, eyes flitting open.

"That team attacked us again," Rainbow explained.

"What's your POV?" Spitfire asked.

"Well," Thunderlane began, "I was flying and doing the routine like you said, and then the other flying team just showed up out of nowhere. I was knocked out of the sky. As I plummeted toward the ground, I caught a glimpse of, apparently, the leader. She was wearing a black-and-blue flightsuit."

"Thank you, Thunderlane," Spitfire said.

Spitfire looked down, and Rainbow was worried.

Spitfire finally looked up. "I want you my office after dinner tonight. We have things to discuss."

**Well, exciting first chapter, huh? Looks like they have a mystery to solve! **

**Updates for this story will come slowly, as I'm trying to make chapters longer and incorporate some description. **

**Cutthroat Drummer**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second chapter! Enjoy! (Sorry about the shortness) :P **

Rainbow stepped into Spitfire's office. Spitfire looked up from her work and gestured toward a chair.

"Sit down," she said. "We have a lot to talk about."

Rainbow sat down, and Spitfire looked at her.

"I'd like to know what happened yesterday," she said.

"Well," Rainbow began, "I was flying when something rocketed past me. It threw me of balance."

"Did you see anything peculiar?"

"I caught a glimpse of her trail - it was a lightning bolt."

"Why does that sound familiar?" Spitfire mused.

Rainbow mulled it over. "That does sound familiar."

"Did you see any other clues?" Spitfire asked

"Well," Rainbow began, "I saw a black-and-blue flightsuit."

Spitfire sighed. "Keep an eye out for her, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

In the arena, Thunderlane was flying when he noticed a pegasus he'd never seen before. She was black, and had an orange and yelow mane. Her cutie mark was a thunderbolt.

Thunderlane went over and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Thunderlane. What's your name?"

"I'm White Lightning," the pegasus said. "I'm looking for Spitfire - have you seen her?"

"Um...I think she's in her office. Just to warn you, she can be quite irascible."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lightning said. Thunderlane flew away, oblivious that Lightning had a smirk on her face.

Rainbow flew lazily around, not really doing anything. She looked up and saw a gray pegasus with a black and yellow mane. His cutie mark was a towering cloud. Rainbow went over and introduced herself. "Hey, my name's Rainbow Dash - what's yours?"

The pegasus didn't answer right away, which made Rainbow wonder if he didn't hear her or he was deliberately ignoreing her. Rainbow was about to speak again when the pegasus turned towered her.

"My name's Stormcloud," he said without emotion.

"You want to fly with me?"

"No."

Rainbow was surprised at the pegasus's rudeness. She watched him fly away and decided to tell Spitfire about him.

White Lightning knocked on Spitfire's office door.

"Come in," a voice said.

White Lightning opened the door, stepped inside, and took a seat.

Spitfire look up. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm White Lightning, and I'd like to train to become a Wonderbolt."

Spitfire blinked. "You do realize you don't become one overnight, right?"

"Training will be a piece of cake," she said. "I like to push my limits."

Spitfire looked suspiciously at her. "Meet me in the arena tomorrow."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Lightning saluted and flew out the door.

Spitfire sat there, wondering if she did the right thing.

Unknown to them both, Rainbow was listening the whole time.

**All right, second chapter down! **

**What did you think? Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**All right, here's the next chapter! Sorry about the long wait! Life! **

Lightning woke up, ready to start training. "I'm ready to kick butt!"

She flew to the arena, and Spitfire was waiting for her.

"All right," Spitfire said, "to be a Wonderbolt, you have to realize it won't happen overnight, understand?"

"Yeah, sure," Lightning said. "Before we begin, I'd like to call my friends over." Lighting whistled, and more pegasi came over.

"This in Skyfire, Skyview, Stormcloud, Stargazer, and Second Wind."

Spitfire blinked. "Okay," she said. "Shall we begin?"

"Absolutely," Lightning replied.

"All right," Spitfire said, hovering in front of them, "the Dizatron is first. Who would to go first?"

Lightning raised her hoof.

"All right, you first."

Lightning climbed into the Dizatron, and it started.

It spun faster and faster, and Spitfire yelled, "Release!"

Lightning flew up in the air, and she quickly recovered and zipped across the line.

"Six seconds - an Academy record. Nice job."

"Thank you, Ms. Spitfire," Lightning replied.

"Next!" Spitfire yelled.

Later, Spitfire assigned teams.

"Your job is to find all of the opposing teams' flags. First team to find all the flags wins. Good luck!" She blew her whistle. "Go!"

Lightning took off with Second Wind beside her. "We need to find all the flags," she said.

They found the flags before any of the other teams. They landed in front of Spitfire.

"Good job, you two," she congratulated. She was starting to think that this "White Lightning" was a hypocrite.

Later, the trainees did an obstacle course. White Lightning finished first, with Skyfire finishing second. Again, Spitfire had her suspicions.

"Lightning," she said after they had landed, "I want you in my office after dinner tonight."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

After dinner that night, Lightning went to Spitfire's office. When she entered, Spitfire was sitting at her desk, looking at papers.

"Sit down," she said, not looking up from her papers.

When Lightning sat down, Spitfire looked at her and asked, "Have you in training before? You've aced all the exercises."

"I must be gifted, then!" Lightning said.

Spitfire was surprised by how quickly she answered the question.

"Are you sure you haven't been here before?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you're dismissed."

Lightning rose and left the office. As she was walking out the door, she didn't notice that her body had brushed against a the doorframe. She ran straight into Rainbow Dash. "Oh, hi!" she said. Rainbow noticed that her...fur had rubbed off? She saw a mint green under the white.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing."

Lightning went around her and headed for the mess hall.

"Odd," Rainbow thought.

**There's that chapter! You can tell Spitfire and Rainbow are suspicious. **

**Review, please! **


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